Shanghai Daily news

“King Chair” (above left) by Shao Fan, Liu Jianhua’s color ceramic series (above right) and Mattia Bonetti’s “Natural” lamp stand (above center) are among the art pieces on display at the “Awakening: La France Mandarine — The French Influence on Chinese Art” show. 
(Photo: Shanghai Daily)

The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall is definitely outshining the nearby Shanghai Art Museum lately. The exhibition hall's current displays of Pablo Picasso's ceramic works and the sculptures and prints by Joan Miro were joined last week by another major show, entitled "Awakening: La France Mandarine - The French Influence on Chinese Art."
As part of the Year of France in China, the exhibition showcases nearly 300 art pieces, ranging from furniture, garments and daily utensils to contemporary sculpture and installation.
According to Pearl Lam, the organizer of the exhibition, the French tend to think of the word "mandarine" as being related mainly to the fruit that seems to have more pips than taste. Few are aware of the word's Chinese origin. In colloquial French, a "mandarine" is considered to mean a power-drunk intellectual of no specific nationality rather than a senior official from China's Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). And the adjective "mandarine" makes the French think more of a color (orange) than a nation (China). Perhaps the organizer deliberately chose the word to echo the theme of the exhibition - "The French Influence on Chinese Art."
However, this imposes a far-fetched link with some of the objects now on display. It is true that the club chair, table and even the qipao printed with an art deco design - a pattern said to be typical of French print - are reminiscent of the 1930s Shanghai.
But then one reads the description for a club chair which states that Chinese traditional furniture did not have padded upholstery. It goes on to say that "... all traditional Chinese armchairs are of wood with no cushions. The very prominent French influence convinced the Chinese to believe that only by living in a French lifestyle could Shanghainese (have a) sense of sophistication ... and possibly flaunt their wealth and fashion taste." It is ironic, to say the least, to be told that it was French influence that taught the Chinese to put cushions on chairs.
But if we put the main theme of the exhibition aside, the best part of the display is in the section "Imitation vs Mandarine," which is a group show of 60 artists from different countries.
Today, French luxury brands have had an enormous impact on Chinese and their way of life. However, this section of the exhibition aims to inform visitors that reinterpreting French style should not be merely line-for-line copying. Here, the artists and designers have switched roles. The artists have tested their creativity in designing and the designers use their imagination to create pure art pieces.
In this way, they have rediscovered and reestablished their own originality and individuality. The works are fine examples of how good art can be when it is expressed in Western forms but fused with Chinese philosophy and traditions.
One exhibit, a ceramic work by artist Liu Jianhua, features a headless and armless female body wrapped in a colorful qipao on a Western sofa. The combination of qipao and sofa contrasts traditional Chinese feminity and sexiness with Western modernity, power, money, sexuality and comfort.
A similar piece is Luo Xu's work in fiberglass entitled "Eastern Venus." Enraptured by a woman's well-formed limbs, Luo has placed her legs in an erotic pose but has encased her tiny feet in a pair of traditional shoes.
In contrast, some of the other interpretations of China by foreign artists only "scratch the surface." In their works, stereotyped symbols, such as round mirrors and red threads, are the main points of reference.
The lighting and setting of "Awakening: La France Mandarine - The French Influence on Chinese Art" are intricately and ornately arranged but they still cannot steal the limelight from Picasso and Miro and their works of art on the ground floor of the exhibition hall.
Although Picasso's ceramic works and Miro's sculptures and prints are arranged in no special setting in the lobby, they reinforce the legend of the two masters. The creations of Miro's eye and Picasso's imagination immediately capture the gaze of local art lovers the instant they step inside the hall.
When, on closer inspection, visitors can find the year when the works were created - it is proof that Picasso and Miro were far ahead of their time and even that of succeeding artists.

Date: through January 4, 2005, 9am-4pm
Address: 100 People's Ave
Admission: 25 yuan
Tel: 6318-4477